Judges 9:23

9:23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility ¹  between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal ²  to Abimelech.

Judges 9:39

9:39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out ³  and fought Abimelech.

Judges 9:47

9:47 Abimelech heard ⁴  that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place. ⁵ 

Judges 9:26

9:26 Gaal son of Ebed ⁶  came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him. ⁷ 

Judges 9:46

9:46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem ⁸  heard the news, they went to the stronghold ⁹  of the temple of El-Berith. ¹⁰ 

Judges 9:6

9:6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar ¹¹  in Shechem.

Judges 9:25

9:25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting ¹²  bandits in ¹³  the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it. ¹⁴ 

Judges 20:5

20:5 The leaders of Gibeah attacked me and at night surrounded the house where I was staying. ¹⁵  They wanted to kill me; instead they abused my concubine so badly that she died.

Judges 9:2-3

9:2 “Tell ¹⁶  all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want ¹⁷  to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” ¹⁸  9:3 His mother’s relatives ¹⁹  spoke on his behalf to ²⁰  all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. ²¹  The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; ²²  they said, “He is our close relative.” ²³ 

Judges 9:7

Jotham’s Parable

9:7 When Jotham heard the news, ²⁴  he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, ²⁵  “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!

Judges 9:18

9:18 But you have attacked ²⁶  my father’s family ²⁷  today. You murdered his seventy legitimate ²⁸  sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative. ²⁹ 

Judges 9:20

9:20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!”

Judges 9:24

9:24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother ³⁰  who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them. ³¹ 

Judges 9:51

9:51 There was a fortified ³²  tower ³³  in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower.

¹ tn Heb “an evil spirit.” A nonphysical, spirit being is in view, like the one who volunteered to deceive Ahab (1 Kgs 22:21). The traditional translation, “evil spirit,” implies the being is inherently wicked, perhaps even demonic, but this is not necessarily the case. The Hebrew adjective רָעַה (ra’ah) can have a nonethical sense, “harmful; dangerous; calamitous.” When modifying רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) it may simply indicate that the being in view causes harm to the object of God’s judgment. G. F. Moore (Judges [ICC], 253) here refers to a “mischief-making spirit.”

² tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

³ tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.”

⁵ tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”

⁶ tn Heb “were assembled.”

⁷ sn The name Gaal derives from, or at least sounds like, a Hebrew verb meaning “to abhor, loathe.” His father’s name, Ebed, means “servant.” Perhaps then this could be translated, “loathsome one, son of a servant.” This individual’s very name (which may be the narrator’s nickname for him, not his actual name) seems to hint at his immoral character and lowly social status.

⁸ tn Heb “trusted in him.” Here the verb probably describes more than a mental attitude. It is likely that the Shechemites made an alliance with Gaal and were now trusting him for protection in return for their loyalty (and probably tribute).

⁹ sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.

¹⁰ tn Apparently this rare word refers here to the most inaccessible area of the temple, perhaps the inner sanctuary or an underground chamber. It appears only here and in 1 Sam 13:6, where it is paired with “cisterns” and refers to subterranean or cave-like hiding places.

¹¹ sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.

¹¹ tc The translation assumes that the form in the Hebrew text (מֻצָּב, mutsav) is a corruption of an original מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”). The reference is probably to a pagan object of worship (cf. LXX).

¹³ tn Heb “set against him bandits.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “on the tops of.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “arose against me and surrounded against me the house at night.”

¹⁷ tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”

¹⁸ tn Heb “What good is it to you?”

¹⁹ tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”

¹⁹ tn Heb “brothers.”

²⁰ tn Heb “into the ears of.”

²¹ tn Heb “and all these words.”

²² tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”

²³ tn Heb “our brother.”

²¹ tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.

²² tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”

²³ tn Heb “have risen up against.”

²⁴ tn Heb “house.”

²⁵ tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.

²⁶ tn Heb “your brother.”

²⁵ tn Heb “their brother.”

²⁶ tn Heb “so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub-Baal might come, and their blood might be placed on Abimelech, their brother, who murdered them, and upon the leaders of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to murder his brothers.”

²⁷ tn Or “strong.”

²⁸ tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.